The Doll Thief
by mentalagility
Summary: Arnold's school project is stolen and everyone seems to know the culprit.


**A/N: Hey Arnold! belongs to Craig Bartlett and Nickelodeon.**

"Remember class, the project is due tomorrow. If you finished today, then you may leave them here in the classroom." Mr. Simmons ended his announcement right as the bell rang for lunch and recess. About half of the students set their various crafts on one side of the room and joined the rest of the class exiting from the other side.

A girl remained in the classroom alone. She darted her eyes around the room, confirming the absence of other living beings, and walked to the newly formed line of projects. She gently picked up an altered doll that resembled a Viking. She sighed as she traced her fingers around the doll, admiring it like a fine work of art. She placed it back in the same spot and continued to stare at it.

"My beloved, you always try your best in everything you do." Helga's lovesick expression switched to a skeptical one. "Even if it's ultimately pointless."

Her growling stomach signaled her next move. She left the classroom.

* * *

The classroom door creaked open. A shadowy figure tip-toed across the floor and snatched the Viking doll. The mysterious person escaped, undetected.

* * *

The class returned inside after recess without mentioning anything missing. In fact, it wasn't until the school day ended that someone finally noticed.

"My project! It's gone!" Arnold exclaimed. He searched the classroom with a growing frown. His best friend Gerald tried to help, but neither could find it. The rest of the students shifted toward the door.

"Has anyone seen Arnold's doll?" Gerald questioned the remaining classmates, whom murmured negative responses. "I'm sorry man, we better go catch the bus."

"What am I going to do, Gerald?" Arnold turned to his friend as they stepped into the hallway. Neither one noticed Helga quickly shifting away from the door. "I don't have time tonight to start over and make a new one. I guess I'll have to make something else for tomorrow."

"Or, you could ask for an extension. Who knows, someone could've stolen it!" Gerald's eyes widened.

The school entrance doors muted the rest of the conversation to Helga's ears. She scrunched her face in deep thought before realizing that she needed to ride the bus too. She dashed out of the school in hot pursuit.

* * *

The next day, Helga left her house earlier than usual. She sprinted in the direction of the school, since the morning bus wouldn't arrive until later. However, she miscalculated, forgetting how long it took to get to school by foot. The bus arrived at the school exactly when Helga burst through the front doors. She hoped no one saw her.

She entered her classroom and halted to catch her breath. She stepped slowly toward the empty space between all the projects and delicately set a doll there. A sigh of relief left her lungs.

"Helga?"

Helga jumped and immediately turned around. "Football-head! What the heck do you think you're doing, sneaking up on me like that!?"

Arnold ignored her question. "My Viking doll! You found it?" He picked it up.

Helga didn't want Arnold, of all people, to know about the good deed. She stuttered, about to make up a story, when a voice from the doorway exploded.

"Helga, of course! You _would_ steal someone's project, wouldn't you?" Rhonda's accusation caught Helga by surprise.

"I didn't steal anything!" She crossed her arms and scowled at Rhonda.

Before Rhonda or Arnold could respond, another voice entered the room.

"Helga did it! She stole your doll, Arnold!" Harold pointed his sweaty finger at the now distraught Helga.

"I DIDN'T STEAL ANYTHING!" She was almost more baffled than angry. She almost attempted to defend herself by explaining that the doll wasn't even worth taking, but then she saw the rest of the classmates enter and whisper amongst each other.

Arnold didn't know who to believe, but he ran out of time to ponder the assertions when Mr. Simmons arrived.

* * *

Everyone placed their projects on their desks and awaited their turn to present them. Arnold fiddled with his Viking doll instead of focusing on the presenting students. His conflicting thoughts consumed him.

 _I don't know who to believe. I know Helga isn't very nice most of the time, but she did find my doll… or she brought it back. But, why would she bring it back if her intent was to steal it? Did she have a change of heart? She says she didn't steal it though. But Rhonda AND Harold say that she stole it. That's two against one. But, Helga didn't really seem like she was lying. But, why would Rhonda and Harold lie? This isn't making sense._ Arnold ceased his thoughts for a moment, observing the Viking's clothing. _Wait a minute… Yellow thread? Didn't I use orange thread?_

Suddenly, his classmates gasped.

Arnold whipped his head up and gulped at Curly's disturbing diorama. The cut out box contained a bloody battle of various parts of dolls, complete with tons of red paint. Curly laughed maniacally.

"Arnold!" Gerald nudged him. "That looks like your doll in there! Look!"

Arnold stood up to get a better view and confirmed Gerald's statement. "Curly, why do you have a doll that looks just like mine in your diorama?" His confusion reached new levels.

"That's because…" Curly dramatically paused. "I took your doll and decided to send him to battle!" He maniacally laughed.

No one knew how to respond. Thankfully, the bell shattered the awkward silence that followed.

"I guess that's it for presentations today. We'll finish the rest of them on Monday." Mr. Simmons announced to a crowd of hungry students. No one took note of how pale he appeared.

* * *

Arnold, determined to relieve the confusion in his head, searched for Rhonda, Harold, and Helga around the cafeteria. He first spotted Rhonda and decided to start there. Rhonda greeted Arnold with an unusually higher-pitched voice as he sat down across from her.

"Rhonda," Arnold began. "Did you lie about Helga this morning? Curly says he stole the doll, so I'm really confused."

Rhonda didn't respond. She continued to look at her food instead.

"Were you trying to protect Curly or something?" Arnold wondered.

Rhonda spat out part of a sandwich. "What? Protect THAT creep? Eww!" She wiped her mouth with her napkin. "Fine, I'll tell you the truth. Just don't ever suggest that again!"

* * *

 _Yesterday afternoon…_

Rhonda groomed herself in the girls' bathroom while listening for the crowd outside to fade out. Once she felt safe, she snuck into the hallway and into her classroom. She didn't bother turning on the lights. Her feet tip-toed through the desks. Her hands grabbed Arnold's doll and she fled the scene. Rhonda walked to her locker and opened it up. She opened a container of paint and dipped a tiny brush inside. _This bald spot on his head was driving me nuts!_

Suddenly, Rhonda heard heavy footsteps and shook in panic, dropping the doll as she frantically closed her locker. She tried to act cool.

"Oh, hi, Harold." She rolled her eyes and stuck her nose up in the air.

Harold raised an eyebrow.

Rhonda decided she'd finish the operation after lunch and went to the cafeteria.

* * *

"When I came back to my locker, I couldn't find your doll. It just disappeared! Honest!" Rhonda shrugged. "I'm sorry, Arnold."

"It's okay, thank you for telling me the truth." Arnold waved goodbye and strolled to the next person to question.

Harold pretended to not notice Arnold.

"Harold-"

"I don't know anything!"

"Harold-"

"Go away!"

"Harold!"

"Whaaaaat?" Harold whined.

Arnold prepared for this probable scenario. "If you tell me why you lied this morning, I'll give you a candy bar."

Harold perked up. "A Mr. Fudgie Bar?"

Arnold revealed just that.

"Ooh, okay Arnold, I'll tell you everything!" Harold licked his lips.

* * *

Harold didn't expect a greeting from Rhonda as he headed for the bathroom. When she left, he noticed Arnold's doll on the floor. He picked it up and imagined all the torturous things he could do to the doll, snickering to himself. He wondered which one he should accomplish first. _Should I give this doll a swirly? Ooh, or kick it around like a soccer ball? Or maybe stick it in my armpits?_ Harold amused himself greatly with these thoughts.

He entered the boys' bathroom and set the doll on a sink before taking care of business in a stall. Another boy walked in soon after.

"Hey, Curly." Harold said as he left the bathroom, completely forgetting about his foul plans.

* * *

"I guess I forgot the doll in the bathroom." Harold explained to Arnold.

"That must be how Curly got it. Thanks." He tossed the candy bar to an excited Harold.

By that time, the rest of the students left for the playground. Arnold explored outside, but couldn't find Helga anywhere. Gerald approached him.

"So, what's the story?" Gerald asked.

Arnold took a deep breath. "Well, apparently Rhonda initially stole the doll, but she lost it and Harold found it. Then he took it to the bathroom, where he forgot about it. He saw Curly in there, so that's when he probably took it. But, none of this explains the doll that Helga had. Why are there two dolls?"

"I don't know, man." Gerald thought. "Helga's always been kind of sketchy, you know? I'd probably just forget about it. You're in the clear now, anyway."

"No, when I find Helga, I want to ask about it."

"Arnold, are you crazy?" Gerald flung his arms up. "Do you really want to know that badly? That girl is nothing but trouble."

The bell rang. Everyone returned to class.

* * *

When school ended for the day, everyone madly rushed toward the exit. The upcoming weekend always prompted animalistic tendencies in the kids. They pushed each other around just to depart faster and sprinted as if escaping predators. No one listened to the teachers demanding them to slow down.

Helga bolted out of the building and hid around a corner. She knew Arnold wanted to speak with her, but she wasn't prepared yet. She was still trying to wrap her head around the strange events that unfolded today. Her original excuse would no longer appear valid. She wanted to say that she happened to find the doll somewhere, but now she couldn't. _Criminy! What am I going to tell Arnold!? I have no flipping clue this time! Argh!_ Helga gripped her head in horror.

Arnold boarded the city bus and scanned every seat for Helga. When he couldn't find her, he hastily got off. Some students curiously peeked outside their windows at him before the bus drove away. Arnold sulked.

Helga switched her attention away from the bus once she saw Arnold boarding it, so she assumed he left. She sighed and began to walk home.

Arnold, who felt defeated not a second ago, gasped in surprise at Helga's sudden appearance.

Helga, who felt relieved not a moment ago, gasped at Arnold's unexpected presence.

An awkward staring competition ensued, both frozen in place.

"Helga?" Arnold briefly forgot what he wanted to ask her.

Helga shook her head. "Uhh… W-what do you want, Arnold-o?" She tried her hardest to maintain her usual attitude, but Arnold walked closer to Helga, which heightened her nerves.

"I'm really confused." Arnold began. "I found out that Rhonda stole the doll initially, then Harold did, and then Curly ended up with it."

 _Sheesh! That explains their dumb behavior this morning._ Helga thought. "Yeah, so?" She tried to act nonchalant.

"But, none of that explains the doll you had." A perplexed Arnold indicated. "Why is there a second doll?"

"I don't know!" She desperately struggled to hide the panic in her voice, but it sounded too suspicious.

"I think you do know." Arnold flatly stated.

"Look, I don't have time for this, okay? I need to go home!" Helga started to walk away.

Arnold's curiosity burned stronger. He needed to stop her. Without thinking, he managed to grab her hand. Helga lost motion. He opened his mouth to speak, but her hand felt odd in his. He realized her fingers had multiple bandages stuck to them.

"Helga, what happened to your hand?" Arnold's curiosity changed to concern.

She ripped her hand away from his. "None of your beeswax." Helga tried to move her legs, but they lost function. She melted into a puddle when Arnold touched her hand and she couldn't entirely shake off that feeling.

Arnold glanced at her other hand and observed more bandages. "Helga, please tell me what happened."

Helga gazed into Arnold's dismal eyes and reflected upon last night's events.

* * *

 _Yesterday evening…_

Helga ran into her bedroom and emptied her piggy bank. She counted every dollar and coin, pocketing everything. She left her home without saying a word, dashing down the streets. She entered a nearby toy store and quickly browsed the aisles. She found the exact doll Arnold used for his project. She whispered "Yes!" when she read the price. After using most of her money to purchase the doll, she ran back outside, bumping into someone on the way home.

She threw the bag with the doll inside onto her bed. She immediately scrounged her closet, the attic, and other corners of the house for materials. Luckily, she was able to find most things that looked the same as the original, but she had to settle for yellow thread. Helga was almost certain that the doll's thread was supposed to be orange, but she didn't have enough money or time to buy any. Once she found everything she needed, she locked herself in her bedroom for the rest of the night.

* * *

 _If I had any sewing skills at all, then I wouldn't have all these stupid bandages…_ Helga yawned. Her lack of sleep finally caught up to her.

"…Helga? You look really tired." Arnold frowned. "Maybe I better walk you home."

As blissful as that sounded, Helga refused. "No, I'm fine." She regained her leg power and walked toward her house, unaware that Arnold followed behind her.

After walking together in silence for a while, Arnold suddenly remembered last night.

* * *

 _Yesterday night…_

Arnold held onto his grocery bag as he walked home. He agreed to pick up groceries that morning when he talked with his grandfather, not anticipating on having more homework to do that evening. Despite having to now redo his project, he didn't want to back on his word.

As if by fate, as usual, he crashed into Helga on a street corner. They both fell and dropped their bags.

"Sorry, Helga." Arnold apologized as he picked up his things. He noticed the logo on Helga's plastic bag right before she snatched it.

"Watch where you're going, football-head!" She exclaimed, then ran off.

* * *

 _She went to the toy store last night… Bandages on her hands… A second doll… the thread…_ Arnold tried to piece everything together in his mind. _Did she…?_ It came to Arnold in a flash.

"You made it." Arnold softly spoke.

"Of course I made it home." Helga's sleepiness interfered with her normal brain function. She jumped. "Whoa, you stalking me football-head or what!?"

"You made the doll, didn't you?" Arnold almost whispered.

Helga gulped. "I, uhh… I… um…"

Arnold's smile grew wider and wider. "You didn't have to do that, Helga."

She conceded defeat. "Fine, okay, I made it! You just looked so pathetic! I was doing a public service to everyone, not to you specifically, got it?"

Ever since Helga confessed her love to Arnold, reading Helga's actions got a bit easier for him to see through. Arnold gave Helga an all-knowing facial expression. It made her uneasy.

"What? You know everything now, so you can leave!" Helga grabbed her doorknob.

Arnold stood still. "Why do you refuse to admit to doing good things?"

Helga had the door halfway open before pausing. "Why aren't you leaving?"

"Why can't you see that you're really a good person, deep down?" Arnold shot back.

Helga deflected it. "Why are you being so annoying?"

Arnold felt an unexplainable rush asking these questions. "Why do you hide who you really are?"

"Why are you so adamant on figuring me out?" Helga crossed her arms.

Arnold stared at Helga with his mouth hanging open at her unexpected question. "I…"

 _That's right! It's MY turn to make YOU feel uncomfortable!_ Helga formed a devilish smirk, stepping closer to Arnold. "Why did you follow me home? You could've waited until next week to pester me, yet you couldn't wait?"

Arnold stuttered. "I… I…"

Helga slid into his personal space. "Why did you waste your entire recess just to find me when you knew you had future opportunities to talk to me?"

Arnold wasn't sure if he wanted to know where this was going. Helga got so close to him that he started to step backwards.

"Gee, Arnold, is it just me, or am I stuck in your head or something?" _Wait a minute, is this what I wanted to say? WHAT AM I SAYING!? THIS WAS A BAD IDEA, HELGA._ Her smirk disappeared. She just realized how close she got to him and blushed. She gradually backed up the stairs, facing Arnold the whole time.

Arnold forgot how to breathe. He could feel his heart pound hard and fast in his chest. _What's happening?_ He couldn't create any other thoughts. His eyes glued themselves to Helga's.

This was the longest minute they ever experienced. Suddenly, the front door flung open, knocking Helga forward.

"Olga! I need you to make di-" Big Bob interrupted.

The impact caused Helga to almost fly into Arnold's arms, knocking her dearly beloved football-head onto the sidewalk. Luckily, Arnold's reflexes saved the both of them from hurting themselves much, but now Helga sat on top of him right in front of her father.

"WHAT THE %#&*!?" Big Bob's face set on fire as he clenched his fists.

In union, Arnold and Helga screamed, running in opposite directions to flee her father's incoming wrath. Arnold didn't stop running until he safely returned to his home and up the stairs to his bedroom. Helga stopped at a nearby park and decided to hang out there until her father cooled off. Both fell into deep thought, reflecting on this day and what happened between them.

* * *

 **A/N: It's been a very long time since I've uploaded anything new. I'm not 100% satisfied with my writing in this, but I wanted to upload something. Thanks for reading. :)**


End file.
